


Chocolate Chips

by FestiveFerret



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Cravings, Excited Dads, Falling In Love, Get Together, Happy Ending, Love, M/M, Morning Sickness, Mpreg, Pregnancy, Pregnant Steve, Unexpected Pregnancy, care and comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 09:54:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27968621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FestiveFerret/pseuds/FestiveFerret
Summary: The first sign was Steve stopping in the middle of a battle to throw up next to a lamppost.The second sign was two clear lines on a test in the SHIELD medical office bathroom.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 55
Kudos: 741





	Chocolate Chips

**Author's Note:**

> Beware, mpreg! This is one of those situations where Steve can get pregnant but I don't go into details why. You can imagine any reason you like, or just accept it and read on :D
> 
> Thanks to ashy for beta! <3

The first sign was Steve stopping in the middle of a battle to throw up next to a lamppost. The second sign was two clear lines on a test in the SHIELD medical office bathroom.

"Fuck."

"Language," Natasha said from the other side of the bathroom stall door.

"How did you get in here?" Steve asked, pushing out of the stall. 

She was sitting on the bathroom counter next to the sinks. Steve wrapped the test in a few paper towels to give to the doctor and washed his hands. 

"I thought you might want some moral support."

Steve splashed cold water on his face. "I don't even know what to think."

"Do you know who…?"

Steve shook his head sharply, but couldn't meet her eye.

She chuckled. "You dog."

"Nat!"

She reached out and squeezed his arm. "Hey, it's okay. Even if you do know, you don't have to tell me. That's your business. I assume, you want to tell him first anyway."

"Does everyone else know what I'm doing in here?"

She shook her head "No. I'm willing to back whatever play you make, even if that's lying to them."

"I'm… okay." Steve gripped the edge of the counter and took three deep breaths. This was just something he had to get through. For now, it was just something he had to get through - facing the others - and the rest - would come later. "Okay." He took the test and stepped back out of the bathroom. He could hear voices down the hall, his friends, his teammates, but he slipped into the exam room without being seen.

The doctor returned, took the test, and booked Steve in for bloodwork. She gave him some gentle information, instructions on some supplements to take, but didn't push it, apparently sensing that Steve's mind was churning a bit too much to handle the details. He booked a follow up appointment then marched out to the waiting room with his head held high.

"Everything okay?" Bruce asked. They all looked nervous. Anything that could bring a super soldier to his knees was something to be concerned about. 

"I'm fine. It's okay. They know what's wrong. I just - can we get home first? I'm pretty wiped."

"Sure." Clint met Natasha's gaze and something passed between them. "I could use a shower too. Let's go."

They discussed the battle on the drive back, and Steve tried to speak up so no one would worry, but it was hard to keep track of the conversation. He could feel each of the Avengers try to catch his gaze at one time or another, but he avoided meeting them all. 

But back in the Avengers' Common Room, he couldn't avoid them any more. Everyone hovered, clearly caught between curious concern and respect.

Steve took a deep breath then let it out. "I'm pregnant."

The silence thickened until it was oppressive until Thor smashed it. "Congratulations!" he called, and Steve burst into laughter. 

"Thank you, Thor." 

Clint came forward and pulled Steve into a hug which he returned gratefully.

"It was a surprise, so I haven't really had a chance to process it yet, but I just wanted you all to know. I'm also very early on, so uh…" he trailed off. "Anyway. Yeah."

Everyone expressed their support, generously ignoring the elephant in the room. Everyone except one person. And when they finally all filed out to go to their rooms to clean up, that person stayed behind.

Steve chewed his lip as he looked up and met Tony's eye.  _ Hello, elephant. _

Tony looked as tense as Steve had ever seen him. "I don't want to make any assumptions, but -"

Steve snorted loudly. "I'm not in the habit of taking a different man to my bed every night, Tony."

"Oh." Tony's cheeks flushed as if he'd been expecting a different answer. "I don't… uh."

"Tony, I'm not… I'm not -" Steve huffed, rolling his eyes at himself. "Look, I know it was a fling. One night. And apparently we weren't careful enough. I was wrong. Erskine was wrong, I guess. And so were your doctors. That's on both of us. And I'm sorry about that. I think we both need some time to process this before we try and talk about it."

Tony looked relieved. "Right. Okay." He stood up. "Are you alright?" he asked softly. "Do you need anything?" He gripped Steve's elbow and gave it a squeeze.

"God, I don't even know. I'll let you know if I do?"

"Alright." Tony seemed like there was something else he wanted to say, but he didn't, so Steve pulled away and slipped up to his own apartment. He took a shower, cried a bit - but it all went down the drain so it didn't count - then made a sandwich and slowly chewed his way through it. The nausea was gone, but it had been replaced with fluttering anxiety. 

Pregnant.

And that would turn into a baby.

And he was  _ Captain America.  _

"Fuck," he repeated, tipping face down on the couch cushions, and this time no one was there to tell him off for swearing. 

He must have nodded off, because the light was different when a knock on his door startled him up. He rubbed his eyes as he padded across the apartment, realizing a moment too late that he was only dressed in the sweatpants he'd pulled on after the shower.

He opened the door to find Tony standing in a mess in the hall, hair sticking up, eyes pink and wild, and lip chewed all to hell. "Tony."

Tony's eyes cut down to Steve's stomach then back up as he barrelled into the apartment. "Steve. I'm so sorry, but I'm about to do the most selfish thing I've ever done in my life."

The nausea was suddenly back, and Steve held his breath, braced. 

"Keep it," Tony said, an edge of desperation in his voice.

"What?"

Tony took a step closer, looking even wilder now. "Please keep it," he begged. "I want it. I want it so badly. If you don't want to be involved, I'll do it myself, if you do this first part for me. But, Steve, I've secretly wanted kids forever, and I didn't think it'd be possible, and now that it's here, I can't stand the thought that it might not - that I -" Tony cut off sharply, visibly shaking.

"Whoa, slow down." Steve grabbed Tony's shoulders, worried he was going to slide to the floor. 

All the blood drained out of Tony's face. "It's just occurred to me that there's every chance you weren't even thinking of not keeping it, but you don't want me to be involved." He barked out a humourless laugh. "And you asked me to leave you alone to think, and I didn't do that. Shit. I'm sorry." He moved as if to leave, and Steve grabbed his hand and dragged him over to the couch.

"Sit."

"Okay." Tony sank down with a rough sigh.

"You want to be a parent?" Steve started with.

"Apparently desperately," Tony said awkwardly. 

"Okay." Steve took a breath in and out. "Huh."

"What?"

"I'd just -" Steve chuckled. "I hadn't processed enough to consider not keeping it. I was still trying to imagine that there's a human growing inside me right now."

"Sorry."

"No, don't apologize. It's actually - I mean, it's nice. To know that you like the idea. Cause, I'll admit, I like it too. I always had the white picket fence dream, and while I knew there was no chance it was going to turn out that way, the idea is still appealing. Also… from an awkwardly practical angle, could we even find someone who it would be safe to adopt our baby to? Who even knows what the serum might do? No one knows."

"True."

"But on the other hand, is it safe to raise a child in this environment?"

Tony shook his head. "I don't know. I don't know. For what it's worth, I'd be willing to stop. Retire. If that was a dealbreaker for you."

Steve leaned back on the couch and stared up at the ceiling. "You'd take the baby? Alone? If I didn't want anything to do with it?"

"Yes," Tony breathed, "in a heartbeat."

"What if I did want to be involved…?" Steve quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Well, you're doing all the hard work, so I think it's up to you, ultimately. All I can do is express my preference."

"I meant, would you be willing to raise the baby together?"

"Would I… oh. Yeah. Yes! Of course. That would be amazing. Ideal, really."

"Really?"

"Well, yeah? You're one of my best friends and I know you'll be a wonderful father."

"Oh." Steve brightened. "I kind of thought… well, I just wondered. Cause I feel like you've been a bit avoiding me since the safehouse. And I thought maybe you regretted what we did."

Tony's eyes went wide. "Shit, no. I'm so sorry. I wasn't - I was giving you space. I was... Okay, I was kind of awkward. But only cause it was a bit unexpected. Not because I regretted it. I  _ don't. _ It was… uh." Tony's cheeks pinked and he half shrugged, smiling.

Steve couldn't argue with that. "It was pretty great."

"Too good, apparently," Tony said with a wry chuckle.

"Oops." Steve lay a hand over his bare stomach, tapping his fingers on his skin. "I'd like to do the parenting together. But we also have nine months to adjust to this and I don't want to make any promises about anything."

"Okay. Amazing. That's totally fair." Tony shifted on the couch. "What about this part?"

"What do you mean?"

"The pregnancy. Do you want me to be like uh, around? Help in any way? Do, I don't know, supportive things?"

"Oh. Uh." Steve blinked at Tony. "I don't know. I sort of thought the whole team would be around."

"Oh, yeah, of course. I'm sure they will be. I just meant, I don't know. If you wanted someone you could call at three in the morning to hold your hair back."

Steve smiled softly. "Don't think I have enough hair to be an issue, but that'd be nice, Tony. If you're willing."

"Of course. Is there anything you need? Any prescriptions or anything?"

"Oh, right. The doctor gave me a list." Steve found his uniform pants in the bathroom and dug the papers out of his pocket. He gave them to Tony, who read it out to JARVIS, telling him where to order things. When he was done, he stood. "Okay. Well, I'm going to set up some protocols for J as well, and send them to you to review before they're activated."

"Thank you, Tony."

Tony met his eyes with an earnest expression. "Thank  _ you.  _ Seriously. I can't - thank you."

Steve reached out and pulled Tony into a hug, figuring it could hardly be awkward after everything they'd been through, and Tony sunk into it with a sigh. 

"I'm sorry this wasn't your choice," Tony whispered against Steve's shoulder. 

**

_ Six Weeks Earlier… _

"God, I hate this part," Tony whined. 

Steve chuckled, keeping his eyes on his book. "You can't sit still for six hours?"

"It's inhumane to even ask me to try."

"We could spar," Steve offered, with a waggle of his eyebrows, and Tony laughed.

"Not enough room in here for that." He gestured at the tiny bunker. "Remind me to provide SHIELD with a healthy donation to help cover safehouse and pickup point remodelling costs."

"Plans to add in a business centre, a full spa, and a gym?"

"See you get me." Tony slipped past Steve on his next pace around the room and grabbed Steve's book out of his hands. "Entertain me!"

Steve quirked an eyebrow then threw himself at Tony, grabbing him around the middle and trying to wrestle his book back. 

Tony tried to protest but he was laughing too hard. The book fell to the ground but they both ignored it in favour of trying to tip the other to the floor. One clever twist had Tony spinning around until his back hit the wall, Steve caging him in.

The rush of a mission well done had heat thudding through Steve's veins, and Tony's warm, squirming body redirected it abruptly. He couldn't stop his eyes from cutting down to Tony's lips. When Tony smiled, Steve said, "So… maybe we could spar?" with a cheeky smile.

There was a single beat where Tony sucked in a surprised breath, then he nodded. "Yeah. Good plan." Tony grabbed the front of Steve's uniform and pulled him in for a heated kiss.

**

Steve jerked awake the blaring of the assemble alarm and was halfway into his uniform before he remembered yesterday. The throwing up. The pregnancy test. Telling the team. Tony.

His stomach churned as if reinforcing that the memories were real, and he dropped the uniform to the floor and ran for the bathroom instead.

By the time he could stand without heaving again, the alarm had stopped, which meant everyone was awake, possibly already gone, but Steve pulled on a sweater and trotted off towards the quinjet hangar anyway. 

They were packing up.

"Cap," Clint said, when he caught sight of him. "You're not coming, yeah? We weren't sure if we should wait for you."

Steve shook his head. "Nope. Best for everyone that I don't." His eyes cut to the locker where he kept his equipment, but he forced them back to the team. Thor patted his arm as he walked past, and Steve tried to keep a stiff upper lip.

Tony hung back as the others boarded the jet. "You okay?"

Steve shrugged. "The alarm woke me up and the first thing I did was throw up, so there's no question here. I can't go. I'm on the bench."

Tony stepped closer. "That doesn't mean you have to be okay with it."

"I can't lie and say it won't be hard to stay back, but at least it's clear cut." Steve dropped his eyes then rolled them back up to meet Tony's. "Keep me posted, though?"

Tony smiled. He tapped his ear. "We need you on comms, Cap. Benched physically doesn't mean off the team. Where would we be without our fearless leader?"

Steve grinned. 

"Go to my private office. J will hook you up with the HUD from the suit and patch you in."

"Thank you." Steve reached for Tony's wrist and squeezed it. "Be careful."

"Of course. I've got something pretty damn important to come back to."

Steve watched the quinjet take off, then turned and ran to Tony's office.

**

"They did it on TV, how hard can it be?" Steve said, fluttering his eyelashes at Tony. His belly was big enough to show now, and the baby was starting to have all kinds of new opinions on everything Steve did and ate. It was all too easy to get Tony to cave into indulging them too.

They'd told the team about Tony's involvement after the twelve week scan, which had somehow made Tony even more protective than before. Now that everyone knew, he didn't hold back at all, following Steve everywhere, constantly asking him how he felt, and occasionally getting caught staring starry-eyed at Steve's growing stomach.

Tony frowned. "That is the worst argument, you know that, right? The whole point of TV is how easy it is to fake things."

Steve leaned his shoulder against Tony's, pouting now. "Your baby wants banana cake, Tony."

"Wow, low blow." Tony sighed dramatically, but took Steve's weight. "I'm very, very rich. I can buy baby whatever they want." He bent towards Steve's stomach. "No cars until you're well into your forties, though, which will also be the time I'll consider letting you start dating."

"It's three-thirty in the morning, Tony. It's not fair to ask some poor aide to run around the city in the middle of the night trying to find banana cake. We have everything we need here. I found a recipe. Clint and Nat both bake so we have the bakey things."

"Bakey things? Like an oven?"

"Like baking powder," Steve read off his phone. "And eggs?"

"Ugh. Steve."

"But the baby," Steve singsonged, knowing Tony had caved five minutes ago.

"I am the worst person to be allowed to cook anything," Tony declared, standing up and shuffling into the kitchen.

Steve followed him. "Baking is easy. It's just following instructions."

Tony shot him a dead-eyed stare. "That is exactly why I'm the worst person for it. Do you think we'll need this?" He held up a large, metal ladle that had holes in it for some reason.

"I hope not. Get out a mixing bowl."

It took them well over an hour to get the batter mixed and in a pan - surely the wrong size, but it was all they could find - but it tasted really good, like vanilla and bananas, so Steve was looking forward to it. So was the baby. "Ow! Wow. Lots of kicking going on. Oh, put on more chocolate chips, please. More. Yeah, just - yeah. More."

"Steven."

"Tony I swear to god, if you can see an inch of cake between the chips I'm going to throw the whole thing out," Steve snapped.

Tony was still for a moment, and then he broke into laughter. "Who knew annoying pregnancy Cap was actually going to be adorable?" he mused out loud, upending the whole chocolate chip bag over the cake.

"Okay, you can put it in now," Steve said huffily.

Tony put the cake in the oven and JARVIS set a timer. Suddenly feeling the late night, Steve wrapped a blanket around his shoulders and settled in a chair while Tony puttered around, cleaning up the rather extreme mess they'd made.

When the timer chimed, Tony pulled the cake out, and Steve breathed it in. "Oh, god, I want to faceplant into it."

"Well, let it cool a bit first. Then you can take a bath in it for all I care."

"Don't you want to try it?"

"I don't mind a bit of Steve spit in my cake if you want to roll around in it first." Tony poked one of the melted chocolate chips on the surface with finger then licked it off. "Mmm."

"That's cool enough," Steve insisted, grabbing a knife. He cut a large square from the cake then divided it in two, handing one half to Tony. They ate in silence, standing close together in the dark, quiet kitchen.

"Okay, that's pretty good." Tony leaned a little closer. There was a smear of chocolate across his smirk, and Steve's eyes caught on it and couldn't seem to pull away. Something fizzed between them, not unlike the night in the safehouse, but this time it came twisted through with new layers of implication - some appealing, some not. "Tired yet?" Tony asked softly.

Steve nodded. "So tired."

"Let's get you and the little chocolate chip to bed, huh?"

Steve grinned at the nickname. "Yeah, okay." He stole one more large square of cake from the pan, wrapped it in a napkin, then followed Tony to the elevator. "Thank you."

"Any time."

**

Steve had been off the team for six months when he finally decided he couldn't keep the baby a secret anymore. He was starting to show too obviously to hide, and even though he'd been making regular appearances out of uniform, people still questioned what mysterious medical issue had taken Captain America off the team. 

They made the announcement together as a team, Tony's hand pressed tightly against Steve's back where the cameras couldn't see. It wasn't a press conference, but a gaggle of reporters outside a charity event. This time, when one of them asked, Steve said, "Well, I guess I can't keep it to myself much longer, though I've appreciated the privacy. I'm having a baby. Due in three months. I'll be off the team for at least another six months, and then we'll evaluate, depending. I miss the shield, but my family obviously comes first."

An explosion of questions about the other father drowned everything out, and the team all waved goodbye and shuffled Steve off to the car. The questions kept coming, after that, every time Steve left the tower, but he was used to being hounded by the press and they didn't bother him. Someday, he knew, they would find out. But for now he selfishly wanted to keep his relationship with Tony - whatever it could be called - for himself.

A few tabloids had hit the nail on the head when Steve first benched himself, pictures of his so-called baby bump - still a twelve pack at the time, Nat assured him - gracing the covers, but he suspected they'd been just as surprised as everyone else when they found out they were right. 

Even with his prominent bump, now, and The Chip being a very picky eater in the third trimester, Steve made himself go to every charity event the rest of the team attended, well aware of how easy it would be to use his pregnancy as an excuse to get out of everything that was worth doing. It would only leave him miserable and lonely, even if this way meant a lot of sore feet.

Tonight was a benefit for children's charity. It was one of the fancier ones of the year, partially sponsored by the Maria Stark foundation. It was fun to see the whole team in their finest, but Steve felt uncomfortable in his suit, despite the elastic waistband, and The Chip was refusing everything except the mini quiches, which were extremely popular among the other guests too. 

By the time the speeches were done and everyone was mingling, Steve was hungry, grumpy, sore, and far too sober. He watched with a scowl as another tray of quiches was devoured before it came anywhere near him.

"Get you a refill?" a voice by his shoulder asked.

"Hmm?" He turned to find a young man with long, red hair brushed back from his face and a scruffy beard offering him an interested smile. Steve looked down at his cup. "Oh, sure. Ginger ale. Thanks."

The man ordered the drink and brought it back. "Stomach bothering you?" he asked, nodding towards Steve's bump. "My sister in law couldn't eat anything for nine months."

Steve shrugged. "It's been up and down."

"Well, I think you're really brave, by the way. For what it's worth."

"Uh, thanks." Steve wasn't sure what was brave about this, but he'd learned not to argue when people said that kind of thing.

The man shifted closer. "I'm Derek."

Steve shook his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"So what's it like being on the bench?"

"Uh. Well, it's fine. I miss it, of course, but it's not worth the risk."

"Course not. I get it. I used to play a little professional hockey, back when I was younger -" he chuckled in a way that made Steve feel like he was supposed to find it charming "- and it was always so hard sitting out for an injury. You want to support your team." He nodded like he was agreeing with something.

"Well. I guess it can be frustrating at times, but I'm not injured. And this child is going to be a part of the team, so it doesn't really feel like not supporting the team. If I were out on the field with them, they'd all be too distracted trying to protect us."

"Hmm, right. Yeah." Derek moved a little closer, dropping his voice like it was an intimate conversation. "I just wanted to say, since I've got you on your own, that I think it's amazing you're doing this by yourself. And it's shocking that those websites won't let you keep your privacy about the father. Really disgusting."

Steve had seen some of the rumors - everything from the serum spontaneously creating a baby to the Director of the CIA being the father, but remarkably few guessed Tony, or any of the others on the team. Steve wasn't sure if it was that they figured he wouldn't bother keeping it a secret if it was someone that close, that involved, or if it just wasn't sordid enough. "Yes, well they'll write anything that sells," Steve said pointedly. He had an excuse for looking up what people were saying about him; as far as he could tell, Derek didn't.

Derek leaned close enough that the acrid scent of his cologne started to churn Steve's stomach. His hand landed on Steve's arm, squeezed, then dropped to his belly, patting as if Steve was a dog instead of a pregnant person. "I'm sure you'll be a wonderful father, even on your own," he said lowly, and Steve itched to snap back that he was going to be far from alone. "I mean, Captain America. Who wouldn't want to be your kid? And there's no need to -"

"Remove your hand or have it removed," growled a low voice behind Steve. He spun around to find Tony there, eyes flashing with anger. Natasha hovered at his shoulder, arms crossed. "And know that if you choose the latter, I'm not picky about how it's accomplished." 

Steve checked Tony's wrist and sure enough, hot rod red metal was creeping down to cover his fist. Steve shifted to the side, putting himself between Tony and Derek, but also back, out of Derek's reach and into Tony's. Derek's hand fell away, his face paling. "We were just talking," he huffed.

"Well, we need Cap for some important Avengers' business, so scoot." Tony shooed him away, and Derek grabbed his drink and left, Tony glaring after him. But when he turned back to Steve, he was bashful. "Sorry I didn't want to cramp your style but the touching was too much. Too close to The Chip."

Natasha had disappeared at some point. Steve gave Tony's elbow a subtle squeeze. "Don't be sorry, Tony. He was way over the line. It's not like I'm trying to get a date or something. No style to cramp."

"You're not?" There was something odd in Tony's voice, but Steve couldn't quite place it.

"What?"

"You don't want to get a date?"

"No...do you want me to? I've kind of been a bit preoccupied trying to grow a small human, but…"

"No, no. Of course not. I just don't want to cross any lines, you know. As your co-parent. Bad enough I put that bun in your toaster, but I wouldn't want to be a cockblock too."

"Don't say bad enough," Steve said gently. "This is a good thing."

"Sorry." Tony's voice dropped low and soft. "You know I didn't mean it that way."

"I know. Tony?" Steve waited until Tony met his eye. "I'm off the market. Indefinitely. If I was ever on the market, which I'm not sure I was, I'm off it now. If I ever decide I want to start dating I will let you know, as my co-parent, and we could talk about boundaries. But at least for now, through the pregnancy and the first little while, I'm not interested in anyone besides our little family. Okay?"

"Okay."

"And while I'd prefer you keep the repulsors offline during black tie events, I will always appreciate you rescuing me from awkward conversations."

"Alright, good."

Steve sighed. "I've always been shit at saying no to that kind of thing. Over-familiarity."

"Language," Tony teased. "Oh! I grabbed these for you. Saw you eyeing them up but I had to fight an old lady for them and she nearly beaned me with her purse." He reached behind Steve to the bartop and grabbed a plate laden with mini quiches which he handed over.

Steve's eyes prickled with a wave of sudden emotion, but he blamed it on the pregnancy hormones. "Thank you," he managed to squeak out. "It's the only thing The Chip will eat today."

"I'll talk to the chef and see if there's extras we can order for home."

"Don't go to any trouble," Steve insisted. "It'll probably be something completely different by tomorrow."

Tony shrugged. "Then we'll put them in the freezer for when you cycle back around to pancetta and goat cheese. It's no trouble."

And Steve was starting to think that when it came to him, when it came to  _ them -  _ him and the little one - Tony really meant that.

**

Steve shifted to the left again, rolling on to one hip then the other. His not-insignificant bulk made the couch wobble every time he moved, but no matter which way he sat, he couldn't get comfortable. The next time he sighed, Tony's hand landed on the back of his neck.

"Need to get out of here?" Tony whispered in his ear, and Steve nodded. Tony's fingers slipped between his and he drew Steve up to his feet, guiding him right out of the room without a word to the others, still gathered around the TV.

"Shouldn't we -"

"It's fine, Tony assured him. "You're a small planet, right now, Steve. Everyone gets it if you need to stretch it out."

Steve took Tony's advice and twisted until his hip found release, but that didn't quite solve the problem. "Right. Uh. Thank you." He chewed his lip, bouncing on his toes.

"Steve…"

Steve coughed. "Okay. Well. Um."

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing."

Tony stepped closer, eyes narrowing. "Steve. If something's not right with The Chip, even if it seems minor, you have to -"

"No!" Steve shushed him, gripping Tony's shoulder and giving him a little shake. "No, no. It's nothing like that. It's just uh… I think my hormones are going a bit, um, haywire," he admitted.

Tony's frown didn't lesson. "I don't -"

"I can't -" Steve growled lowly. "I can't  _ settle.  _ Tony. I'm -" He huffed with frustration and rubbed his leg against the other which almost led to a moan.

Tony visibly processed that for a moment, then his eyes went wide. "Holy shit! Are you  _ horny? _ Oh my god. I might combust."

"You might combust?! I'm  _ dying  _ here, Tony!"

Tony burst out laughing. "Wow."

Steve turned on his heel and stalked off towards his rooms, knowing Tony would follow, and he did. The thought of one of the other Avengers overhearing was too much. Safe in his own kitchen, Steve leaned forward until his forehead hit the cool of the granite counter. Tony rubbed a hand up and down Steve's back. "You okay?"

Steve groaned. "I've never been so horny in my life. Tony, this is insane. I'm ready to crawl out of my skin. Thank god all my clothes are loose right now. Just saying."

Tony leaned against the counter next to him, folding down on his elbow. Steve turned a little to meet his eyes. "Have you tried, uh -?"

Steve could feel his cheeks flush bright red. "Obviously."

"I have. Um. Stuff. Things." Tony's grin offset the awkwardness of his stuttered words. 

Steve cleared his throat roughly. "So do I. And I tried that too."

Steve could see the cheeky retort on Tony's tongue but he managed to swallow it down. Instead he asked, nearly managing to sound sympathetic instead of amused, "No relief?"

"Nope."

"Shit."

"Yeah."

Tony's hand rubbed up further this time to squeeze the back of Steve's neck. "I'm sorry."

Steve pushed up off the counter and turned to face Tony, only a few inches apart. He breathed out a long, slow breath, eyes locked with Tony's. They hung there, tension building. Tony was the only person he could safely turn to in this.

"Anything you want," Tony finally whispered, answering the unasked question. 

Steve cupped under his jaw and tipped down to press their lips together in a searing kiss. Tony let him drive, and Steve knew what he wanted so it wasn't any trouble to take it. He drew Tony back into his bedroom, and Tony followed willingly.

Tony's hands and mouth on his skin finally drove away the fire that burned under his skin. And two hours later, Steve lay, sweaty and sated, with Tony curled up beside him. 

They turned to face each other, and Steve found Tony grinning. "What?" Steve asked, barely able to hold back his own smile.

"I can't wait to be a dad," Tony said, almost abashed sounding. "I'm just really fucking excited."

Steve rubbed his hand over his stomach. "Me too." He stretched out on the sheets, finally managing to feel relaxed. "Thank you for this, Tony. That felt really good. Still feels good."

"My  _ absolute  _ pleasure," Tony drawled. "Though I think I deserve an award for keeping up with a super soldier. 

"You deserve several awards," Steve announced. "One entire award just for that thing you do with your tongue…"

Tony chucked, audibly pleased, and Steve beamed up at the ceiling, chuffed that he could coax that sound out of Tony.

The Chip kicked hard, and Steve grabbed Tony's hand and pulled it over so he could feel. 

"Wow."

"Close now."

"Yeah," Tony breathed. "I feel the overpowering urge to buy  _ everything."  _

Steve started laughing, still giddy from four orgasms. "You know? Right now? I have no desire to stop you."

**

Steve pushed open his door with his foot, balancing his phone in one hand while he composed a text to Tony. It was still frustrating only being able to do a brisk walk in the morning instead of run, but Nat was kind enough to go with him, and that made it a bit more bearable. The lack of sweat made it feel like the day still hadn't started yet, though. 

Steve kept typing awkwardly with one hand, a bag of Cheetos for Chip from the bodega clutched in the other, as he made his way into the apartment. A noise made him freeze, eyes snapping up, ears perking. Another clatter had him trading the bag for his shield. He glided silently down the hall and found the guest room door cracked. He pushed it open, raising the shield.

"Tony?" He lowered it again.

Tony startled up from where he was sitting on the floor, surrounded by screws, nails, allen wrenches, and pieces of shiny, white… something. "Shit. Hi. This was supposed to go faster. I was supposed to be done by now. Did I tell you I have a PhD in engineering? Plus a few others." Tony stared down at the wreckage. "Um."

"What is that supposed to be?"

"It's going to be a crib," Tony said firmly. "As soon as I figure out what this tiny picture is telling me about wooden pegs and their matching holes. I haven't ruled out the possibility that it's a riddle on purpose. A test of wits, if you will. You'd think prospective parents - us especially since we're so talented at it - would feel quite confident with pegs and holes, but I will admit I'm struggling. However, I will prevail."

Steve stopped trying to fight his grin. "I'm sure you will."

"You're laughing at me now. Captain America, father of my child, is laughing at me. I'll never live it down. I'm humilia -"

Steve broke into wild laughter. "God, I love you."

Tony cut himself off sharply, face twisting through several emotions. He rolled one of the wooden pegs between his hands. "Do you?" he asked quietly, almost awkwardly. He winced.

Steve rubbed his hand over his belly then used his foot to clear a spot among the furniture pieces. He lowered himself down - with some difficulty - to sit at Tony's side. "Yeah. I find that I do."

Tony's eyes were suspiciously wet. "Oh. Well, that's nice."

"Tony…" Steve reached for Tony's hand.

"I have a confession to make." Tony's voice had gone rough and he wouldn't meet Steve's eye or take the offered hand.

A knot wound up tight in Steve's chest, and he tried to swallow it down but it only got bigger. "Okay." The Chip shifted, making Steve's seat awkward, but he stayed still, not wanting to break the moment. 

"That night in the safehouse…"

"Yeah?"

Tony finally looked up and met Steve's eyes. He looked wrecked, and Steve braced himself for the worst. "I said yes because I had feelings for you."

"What?" Steve opened and closed his mouth. He couldn't make sense of what that meant. 

"I was already totally over the moon for you. And I knew it was just some fun for you, and I said yes anyway. I knew it would gut me. I said yes…" Tony trailed off, but Steve could tell he wasn't done so he stayed silent. "And then The Chip happened. And, god, I'm so happy about that, even though we didn't plan it. And I'm so excited to be a dad. Though, obviously, you're not allowed to pop until I get this crib done, so that'll be four or five years I'm thinking. Apologies to your bladder, but concessions have to be made. 

"But, you know, since The Chip isn't here yet, this is maybe my last chance to confess that the best part of all of this, so far, has been getting to spend more time with you. Once there's a little one here, everything's going to be about that, and rightly so, but I just want you to know, right now…" Tony softened, everything about him open and vulnerable. "I loved you long before you gave me a child, because you'd already given me a family."

Steve's hand came up and covered his mouth. "Tony," he breathed, muffled through his fingers. "You never said anything."

"I didn't want to ruin our friendship. Or I was a coward. Jury's still out."

"Oh my god." Steve tipped forward, but his tummy wouldn't let him move far and he huffed in frustration, stretching both hands out until Tony got the hint and put his face between Steve's hands. Steve drew him in and kissed him, gently, chastely. "I'm trying to find a way to tell you I love you too, to ask you to be with me in this, as more than my co-parent, but as my partner, and all I'm coming up with is 'marry me' and as nice as that would be it feels a bit overwhelming, but I don't know what else to ask for."

Tony started laughing, wet enough that one could reasonably call it something else, but Steve just brushed a tear away with his thumb and laughed too. "How about, 'be mine?'" Tony suggested.

"Would you?"

Tony traced Steve's bottom lip with one finger. "I already was. Have been for a while now."

Steve shook his head. "No then… That's not right. Let me be yours?"

"Steve," Tony gasped.

"You know how I said I'd let you know if I wanted to start dating?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I do," Steve said softly. "Little earlier than expected, but it feels right."

"Got anyone in mind? Or just going to try out tinder?" Tony teased, eyes warm and brimming with emotion.

But Steve couldn't keep up the bit any longer. He just wanted Tony, in every way possible. "Move down here with me? Not all the time if you're not ready. But I want you here. And I want this little bit of time before The Chip gets here to just be us."

"Absolutely. Just let me call some kind of service to assemble this crib for me, and then I'm all yours." Tony dug out his phone. "At this point I'll literally pay anything. I'll pay ten times the cost of the crib. Because now it's not just the frustration of having no crib, it's the principle of the matter. I've been thwarted. And you know I won't let that stand."

"Um. Tony." Steve dropped his eyes to his stomach. That was an odd feeling.

"So if I can't beat it with my brains, I'll beat it with my money. In fact I think I'll hire three or four people so I can tell myself it wasn't a one-man job and that's obviously why I failed so spectacularly."

"Tony."

"Hmm?"

"After you call the furniture assembling service, which definitely exists and is obviously critical to your mental health so I wholeheartedly support it, but after that can you make a call for me?"

"Sure. Who?"

"Doctor Wright?"

Tony went very still. "Why…?"

"Because I think that little bit of time before The Chip gets here is basically up. My water just broke and I'm very definitely in labour."

Tony was a statue for two beats and then he turned into a tornado, spraying allen wrenches in all directions. "JARVIS! Code Yellow! Oh my god, oh my god.  _ Where is the go bag?"  _

Steve tried to climb up to his feet but he couldn't get his balance, and a mild contraction made him tip over onto his back instead. He blinked at the ceiling. "Tony. The headboard is digging into my kidney. Also I think I'm stuck. Can I have the baby here?"

"Oh my god. Call a backhoe too, JARVIS! Maybe a crane."

Steve laughed then cut off into a groan as his body revved up again. He had a feeling this was going to be quick and brutal, and he would very much prefer to be at the hospital for it. "Help."

Tony hooked his arms under Steve's, guided him gently around until he could brace his feet against the wall, then helped haul him up to his feet. "Okay."

Steve turned around and wrapped both his arms around Tony, who kissed him soundly. "Okay. I love you."

"I love you too. Let's go have a baby."

"Yes. Let's." 

Tony wound their fingers together and turned to go, and Steve followed. 


End file.
